Cary is from Trinidad and Tobago, he identifies as Afro Trinidadian (someone of African descent but with roots in Trinidad). Trinidad is a small island in the Caribbean but it is a melting pot with a rich cultural heritage. Food is a great indicator of how diverse the population and history is. The cuisine melds East Indian, African, Chinese, Spanish and Middle Eastern foods. We love to cook and more importantly we love to eat. We look forward to sharing the unique foods and culture with our future child. Trinidad is also known internationally for Carnival; the festivity celebrates the days prior to Lent. We love music, dance, and colorful costumes during that time. Our child will get to hear Soca music and dance to the songs of our culture.

Jamie is second generation American with all of his grandparents immigrating from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Columbia. The mixture of culture and history has influenced his values and we maintain several traditions from the different cultures. We love the different music, foods, and language from our different lands. One of Jamie's fondest memories was travelling to Cuba to see the beautiful mountains and beaches his grandmother always described. We want to travel with our future child so that he or she can see the differences and similarities that we all share with the diverse parts of the world we come from.

We want to give our child the best start they could have so we intend on sending him/her to excellent schools from the beginning. As they are going through the different levels of school we will save for their college. When our child goes to college; tuition, books, room and board are not items they will have to worry about. Education is a value that we both cherish. Both of us sacrificed time and money to educate ourselves. We come from families that were not wealthy therefore when it came to continuing our education we both had to work to finance our school. After knowing firsthand the sacrifice and stress that adds, we would want to ensure that our future child does not have to take on that worry, allowing them to focus on their education.

We also know that kids and people learn differently, not everyone wants to attend college. We would never force our child or make them feel less than if college is not possible or desirable. We want our child to succeed and be happy. If college is not for them then we would ensure they learn a trade or gain skills to make them successful and sufficient. Either way any college savings we have for them will be at their disposal to build and enrich their future.

We have a love and respect for nature. Cary grew up in an island with beautiful beaches, mountains and rainforests. Jamie has always loved the outdoors and spent time hiking, camping and backpacking. With Florida being our home, we are often times at the beach. We love to swim, boat, or fish. We often talk about and imagine bringing our future child to the beach to play with them in the sand or with the beach waves. 

Both of us are active in our community and we are passionate about youth. We are on the board of directors of a local nonprofit that is geared to providing clothing and experiences that inspire confidence for youth in need. We organize, fundraise, and lead events to inspire kids from all demographics to build self-confidence. The work is so rewarding and we want to share that with our future child. We want to instill a spirit of generosity and compassion to our child from a young age so by including them in our work; we know he or she will get the chance to make a difference for others. 

Our home is our happy place. We spend time cooking, listening to music, and enjoying the outdoors. We live at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in a three bedroom ranch style home surrounded by Oak trees. Our neighborhood has a lot of families of similar age and we usually have kids playing at the end of our street daily. Our house has a large back yard with citrus trees, herbs and flowers.

We live 1/2 an hour away from Orlando and about an hour away from the beach. Our home is three minutes away from one of the largest free-flowing natural springs, in Central Florida. We often go tubing or swimming at the springs on warm days, after work. Five minutes away we have a large recreational facility with volleyball, basketball, baseball and tennis courts. The recreational facility also has a lake and a one mile walking path that we visit frequently. We love going to the park to enjoy the amphitheater where they host outdoor concerts and fantastic Fourth of July fireworks.

We are lucky to have a close and supportive family on both sides. Our family is eager to meet our future child and welcome him/her into our diverse but loving family.

Cary was born in a small but beautiful island called Trinidad and Tobago. Both of his parents live in Trinidad. Cary’s only sibling is his younger brother Patrick, who is studying in Chicago. Holidays are usually a time for reunion with Cary’s family. The family will come to our home before Christmas so that we can celebrate the holidays with food, laughter, and Caribbean traditions.

 Our family on Jamie's side are all local. We get together frequently and spend time cooking, going to the beach or taking turns hosting Sunday night family dinner at each-other’s houses. Jamie's mom and dad are always around and love to play with their newest grand-child, Leila. They can’t wait to add a second grandchild to their life. Jamie also has a younger brother and sister who love to get together for family trips, holidays, and Sunday dinners. Jamie's sister had our niece Leila in 2020 and Leila is excited for a new cousin to play with.

We would like to say thank you for taking the time to read our letter and potentially consider us to be future parents to your child. We do not take this decision lightly and we can only imagine the deep sense of love, courage and selflessness required to consider adoption for your child. We hope to assure you that if you choose us to be the parents of your child, we will cherish and be eternally honored that you trusted us to care for, love and raise him or her. No matter what you choose thank you for considering us.

We met in 2013 and ultimately married in January of 2015, right after gay marriage was legalized in Florida. During the last several years we have celebrated graduations, milestone birthdays, and traveled to various places. We have also been there for each other during trying times of career changes and family illness. Our marriage and bond has always remained strong through it all. Marriage and children have been extremely important to us even before we met. We are lucky to come from close knit families with siblings and cousins. Creating a family of our own was always a goal we have dreamed of from the beginning of our relationship and adoption was always the way we considered growing our family.

We are fun-loving and laid-back people. We are lucky to be best friends as well as spouses. We have successfully merged friend and family groups because of our similarities and the way we connect on so many levels. We both love being outdoors especially at the beach and springs. Jamie enjoys hiking, skiing and more active outdoor activities while Cary enjoys sitting in nature and relaxing along with gardening/landscaping. We both enjoy cooking and entertaining as well as traveling and experiencing different cultures, cuisines and climates. We cannot wait to have a child to go on our adventures and experience life with us. We both enjoy spending time at home. One of our favorite times is Saturday morning coffee in bed watching Ina Garten on Food Network. The importance of "us" time without extended family or friends is invaluable. The only thing missing is our son and daughter to curl up alongside us on those beloved lazy Saturday mornings.

Both of us want our adoption to be as open as you would feel comfortable with. We want nothing more than to share milestones, birthdays, graduations and even a wedding in the distant future. We value the importance of our future child knowing where they came from and how much you love them. We intend on creating stories and albums so their adoption story is something they will always know about, adding to their uniqueness and value in this world. We plan on sending photos as well as keeping in contact via phone or text so that you never feel like you have been left out of his or her life.

This journey is one that we are both very excited about, the notion of being parents and growing our family is something we could not do without you and it truly means the world to us. Thank you again for sticking it through, reading our letter and viewing our profile. We wish you the best no matter what you choose!

Wishing you our best,

Jamie & Cary